Twelve Month Prevalence of DSM-IV Anxiety Disorder Among Nigerian Secondary School Adolescents Aged 13-18 Years

• NCJ Number: 221230
• Journal: Journal of Adolescence Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2007 Pages: 1071-1076
• Author(s): Abiodun O. Adewuya; Bola A. Ola; Tomi A. Adewumi
• Date Published: December 2007
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The study attempted to estimate the 12-month prevalence of specific anxiety disorders in a sample of Nigerian secondary school students.

Abstract

Results suggest that the prevalence of DSM-IV anxiety disorders among Nigerian school adolescents were high and generally comparable to the rates found among the adolescent and adult populations in the Western World; Nigerian culture could account for the elevated anxiety symptoms. The results indicated that the 12-month prevalence for all anxiety disorders was 15.0 percent, which was comparable to the 8 to 12 percent found among children and adolescents and 18.1 percent found among adults from Western cultures; Nigerian children reported higher levels of fear than did children from Western and Asian countries. A 12-month prevalence of 2.4 percent for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia was comparable to the 0 to 3.5 percent found in adult studies. The 2.1 percent prevalence of SAD found in the study was also comparable to the 2 to 4 percent found in other studies in Western culture. The 12-month prevalence of GAD in the study was 3.6 percent, comparable to the 3.1 to 3.8 percent found in the adult population in Western culture. The 2.5 percent prevalence for specific phobia was substantially less than the 8.8 percent found in Western culture, but comparable with the prevalence of 3.0 percent found for specific phobia for blood/injection/injury which was the most prevalent in children and adolescents. The prevalence of 1.2 percent for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in this study seemed lower than those found among children and adults in Western culture. The lowest prevalence rate was PTSD, which might be due to the semi-urban population studied where traumatic events like combat exposure, neglect, physical abuse, and sexual molestation are relatively absent. A total of 1,200 adolescents in senior secondary schools in Western Nigeria completed a questionnaire and were interviewed for specific anxiety disorder categories according to the DSM-IV. Tables, references